GENEVA: The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Monday launched a US$7.9 billion appeal for 2024 to tackle migration crises.
The United Nations (UN) agency said in a statement that its appeal is aimed at securing funding to save lives, protect people on the move, find solutions to displacement, and facilitate safe pathways for regular migration as "key aspirations" of IOM's new five-year Global Strategic Plan, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
With full funding, IOM could serve nearly 140 million people, according to the statement. This includes internally displaced people and the local communities that host them, it added.
"Irregular and forced migration have reached unprecedented levels and the challenges we face are increasingly complex," IOM Director General Amy Pope said.
"The evidence is overwhelming that migration, when well-managed, is a major contributor to global prosperity and progress.
Stressing that the world is at a "critical moment in time" regarding the migration crisis, Pope said, "We can and must do better."
The funding includes US$1.6 billion for work on facilitating regular pathways for migration as, according to IOM, at least 60,000 people died or disappeared on perilous journeys over the last nine years. --BERNAMA
